Secret Fairytale
by SunnyMagicKingdom
Summary: "Are you willing to be my pretend girlfriend?" When Sakura encountered a gorgeous stranger in the middle of winter, little did she know he turned out to be a famous actor whose career was in trouble. As Sakura tried to help Sasuke Uchiha restore his reputation as his 'lover', she found herself being dragged into the extravagant and yet complicated world of showbiz. (AU)
1. The Winter Encounter

Author's Note: It's me again! I know it's been a long time and I'm very sorry for making some of you wait. And I haven't been updating my other stories, which I sincerely apologize for! But I promise I'll get to them one day. I'm just hoping I will have more time to work on them soon.

Anyways, I'm excited about this story and I hope you guys will love it!

Chapter 1: The Winter Encounter

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _I'll never trust men again!"_

That was what I said when my boyfriend of three years, Neji Hyuuga, broke up with me out of the blue a month ago. With a reason as vague as 'I'm too busy', he ended everything and had blocked off all our contact points.

I was desperate for answers but had no ways of reaching out to him. As much as I wanted to go to where he lived and worked to lash out at him, I couldn't, because our relationship was supposed to be a secret and only our closest friends knew about it.

Neji rose to stardom six months ago when his debut as the main actor of a drama was a huge hit. At just 23 years old, he became one of Japan's most popular young actors and has landed leading roles in various TV drama.

I, on the other hand, had nothing to do with the entertainment industry. I was a 21 years old undergraduate student of Tokyo University's medical school, who still had about two more years before graduating from her Bachelor's degree. Besides having a higher than average intelligence and looks, I would say I was just your average young adult trying to find her life purpose.

I knew Neji for the longest of time since his cousin, Hinata Hyuuga, was one of my childhood best friends. I never exactly got along well with Neji, who had always been cold and almost expressionless. When I was younger, I had always tried to be friendly with him, but he would give me the cold shoulder. At some point, I just stopped trying.

I never blamed him for being that way though. The first time I met him, he was a rather cheerful and friendly child. Everything changed when his parents tragically passed away from a car accident. Since then, he moved in with Hinata's family who had always taken good care of him.

Although he stayed distant and cold for many years, we started to get closer when I was in high school and Neji was already in film school at that time while starting to land small roles in TV dramas. He moved out of Hinata's house and started living in an apartment which was closer to where he studied. And since his apartment was close to where I lived, I offered to help him move in. Surprisingly, we had a pleasant conversation that day. From that day onwards, I visited him often and before long, we started going out.

But things changed, and he changed too. And there was nothing I could do to bring him back. At some point, I'm not even sure if I wanted him back anymore.

It had been three months since Neji broke things off. Do I still miss him? Perhaps. Was I still mad? Very much so.

But was there anything I could do about it? Sadly, no.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Sasuke-teme! Why are you always landing yourself into troubles like these?!"

I ignored Naruto who had barged into my apartment and was being louder than usual. I glared at Kakashi, showing my discontent for not listening to me when I asked him not to open the door for the annoying blonde.

"Say something!" Naruto yelled once again and Kakashi had to ask him to lower down his voice, so my neighbours wouldn't hear the idiot.

"I have nothing to say since everything written on those articles weren't true." I knew I had to say something to shut Naruto up. I continued reading the magazine on my hands, which had an article about my 'relationship' with my female co-star in my latest drama and how I was an abusive boyfriend. I sighed at how ridiculous it was and threw the magazine aside.

"If you have a better personality, maybe there won't always be people who's trying to frame you!" Naruto grabbed the magazine I was reading earlier and grunted angrily. "These things are happening way too many times. This is the second one in this month alone! Even though our agency and Kakashi always managed to prove that these are bullshit, something has to be done to stop this."

"Naruto's right, Sasuke." Kakashi took the magazine from Naruto's hands and threw it onto the table beside me. "As your manager, I must say this is getting out of hand and your reputation is already close to being fatally destroyed. I'm meeting the agency's director in the evening today to discuss this matter. In the meantime, please stay out of trouble. Also, I can't believe I'm saying this but learn a thing from two from Naruto about being well-liked. He seems to be doing a better job at that."

With that said, Kakashi left me with a shouting Naruto who demanded our manager to explain what he meant by what he said. I had to admit that Naruto, who was also an actor managed by Kakashi, had a better reputation than I did. We were childhood friends and went through film school together, so I knew just how unpopular Naruto had always been. But times sure had changed and now I was the one with the popularity issue.

"I need to leave for a photoshoot now, you better behave yourself, Teme!" Naruto punched me on the arm before leaving my apartment in a rush, obviously running late for his schedule.

I sighed once Naruto closed the door behind him. I might seem like I don't care about all the scandals I got into these days but that was far from truth. Even though I had been a prominent young actor who had been in the spotlight for the past year, the latest scandals had caused me to lose some important acting opportunities.

" _If I don't do something, my career will be ruined."_

I decided to take a stroll despite knowing that there were paparazzi downstairs, waiting for their chance to get something out of me. I went to grab my coat and wore a mask to hide my face. To avoid the nosy paparazzi, I took the backdoor and left my apartment building, walking towards a nearby park.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Let's go to that ice-cream store you love, Forehead! It's been a while since we went there."

I was on the phone with Ino, who called right after I finished my lecture. I was aware that she had been trying to cheer me up, but I simply wasn't in the mood to hang out. I felt bad to have made Ino worry so much, so I tried my best to appear alright in front of her.

"Sorry, Ino. I have something to attend to today. Let's go next time." I wasn't speaking the truth, but I didn't know what else to say.

I heard Ino sigh and I had a feeling she knew I was lying, "Alright then. Call me if you want to hang out!"

With that said, I hung up the call and started walking towards the main gate of the university. There had always been a place I would go whenever I feel down. And without anything planned for the rest of the day, I figured it was a good idea to head over there.

There was a park near where I used to live, which I would still often visit even though my family moved out more than ten years ago. It was a quiet and peaceful park, where the sound of rustling leaves was always soothing. Even though it was currently winter, it still had that calm warmth surrounding the place.

There weren't many people at the park when I arrived. I sat down on a bench, facing the snow-covered trees. I stared into the far distance, allowing my mind to wander to the painful parts of my memories.

I was reminded of the first winter I spent with Neji. He might not be the friendliest person you would meet, but he had his soft side too. Every time I would start to feel cold, he would keep me warm with his coat or scarf. It was a small action indeed, but it meant a lot to me.

As my mind was filled with thoughts of wanting Neji back, my tears had blurred my vision and started falling onto my lap. I cried at how pathetic I was, crying over a man who no longer gave a damn about me.

" _It hurts."_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I was stopped on my tracks when my eyes caught sight of her tears.

I was walking around aimlessly and ended up in a snow-covered park. There weren't many people around, so a woman with pink hair caught my attention. She was sitting on the bench while staring into space.

And she was beautiful.

The winter sunlight made her skin vibrant and the gentle breeze was softly blowing her long hair. I was mesmerized by how calm she appeared to be, hence, was caught off guard when I saw tears falling from her green eyes.

Knowing that I should stay out of trouble, I figured it was the better alternative to not approach her. But there was a voice inside me asking me to go to her. I took a step towards her but was once again stopped when I heard a scream.

"Thief! That thief has my wallet!"

The screaming lady, who was probably in her 60s, was frantically trying to catch up with a man dressed in all black, who was running much faster than her. I was about to step in to help the lady out when the pink haired woman stood up from the bench and chased the thief with no hesitation.

"Hey, stop right there!"

She caught up to him easily and took him down with a punch. When the thief tried to push her away, she grabbed his arms and threw him onto the ground, knocking him on the head. The stolen wallet fell onto the snow and the owner came running to thank the surprisingly strong woman.

"Thank you so much, young lady!" The older woman thanked her continuously, while catching her breath after running so much.

"You're welcome. Please be careful!" The smile of the pink-haired lady was beautiful and sincere, it almost seemed as if she had not just cried. And the way she took on the thief with both grace and strength was admirable. "I'll help you call the police."

While the two women were speaking and dialling the police, they weren't aware that the thief was regaining consciousness and was getting up from the ground.

Without a second thought, I ran towards the man and grabbed onto his arm, just when he was about to land a punch on the woman who had subdued him earlier on. The thief grunted in pain as I held onto his wrist tightly before bringing it to his back.

"Thank you." The woman who had caught my attention for the past few minutes gave me a small smile, and for once in my life, I felt a weird tingling feeling inside me.

"Hn, no worries." I mentally scolded myself for sounding cold but when was I ever not?

The police came a few moments later, taking the thief into custody. The old lady left with the police to file an official police report.

Then it was just her and I, standing in the middle of the park as snow began falling onto us.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"Oh, it's snowing."

I looked up to the sky as snow slowly fell onto the ground. It was starting to fell cold too as the sun began setting into the horizon.

I looked to my side, where the man who helped me earlier stood at. He was looking up at the skies as well, seemingly admiring the beauty of the falling snow. He took off the mask that was partially covering his face to take in a deep breath.

I felt my face burning up a little when I saw the handsome face of the stranger I happened to crossed path with. His onyx eyes were fixated onto the darkening skies and I was captivated by his strong jawline.

My face burnt more with embarrassment when he turned towards me and had caught me staring at him. I looked away instantly, failing to pretend that my attention was on the clouds instead of him.

"My name's Sasuke. What's yours?"

I turned back to him and was trying not to be intimidated by the intensity of his gaze.

"Sakura Haruno." I was beginning to feel glad that it was a cold evening, at least there was a chance he would think the blush on my face was due to the weather.

"Sakura." My heart skipped a beat upon hearing his deep voice calling my name. I stood in silence for what felt like a long time before the cold air got to me, making me shiver.

It didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, who immediately took off his red scarf and put it around my neck.

"It's getting colder, do take care." I just met him, but I can see that he was not a man of many expressions. Despite his gentle act of care, he wasn't smiling at all.

Though that somehow made him even more charming.

"I will." I watched as he began walking away and I found myself captivated by his strong shoulders and back. Once he was far from sight and I held onto the warm scarf on my neck, a thought came to mind.

" _How will I return his scarf?"_

I found myself smiling as I secretly hoped we would meet again.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Teme!"

I received a call early in the morning the next day from Kakashi, who told me to head over to the agency headquarters immediately. I wasn't given much details, but I could sense it was an urgent matter.

And I had just stepped into the building where I was greeted by Naruto's yelling.

"Didn't I ask you to behave yourself yesterday?! We can't leave you alone for even a second, can we?"

I rolled my eyes upon hearing Naruto's words as I began to think what could be the latest 'scandal' I got myself into. Ignoring Naruto's nagging, I walked to the conference room where Kakashi said he was at with the director.

I was met with a mix of frustration and relief when I entered the conference room. There were several magazines and newspapers on the table and Kakashi handed one of the magazines to me.

The headline read, "Who is Sasuke Uchiha's mysterious and gorgeous girlfriend?"

But what shocked me was not the headline, but it was the woman I was pictured with.

It was Sakura.

" _Someone has taken a picture right at the time when I wrapped my scarf around her. Ridiculous coincidence."_

"The picture didn't capture the woman's face, which made the paparazzi go crazy with their speculations. There are too many variety of stories surfacing from this single picture. So, I would like you to tell me what's going on." The director, Tsunade, looked at me while massaging her head, showing her troubled expression over yet another scandal.

"I was at a park yesterday evening and there was an old lady whose wallet was stolen. The woman I was pictured with caught the thief and I saved her when she was about to be attacked by him. I handed her my scarf because it was snowing, and she was cold. End of story."

Naruto was going through the articles on the table with Kakashi and seemed unusually less agitated over this matter.

"This is probably the only scandal in which Sasuke wasn't portrayed as an abusive lover or a cheating bastard." Naruto's statement caught our attention, and I saw the eye contact made between Tsunade and Kakashi.

I knew what that look meant.

"Kakashi and I were discussing about what we can do to restore your reputation before it becomes unrepairable. We couldn't come up with a good solution but seems like an opportunity has fall before us." Tsunade smirked as she went through several newspapers, seemingly liking her new plan. "What do you think, Kakashi?"

"I think this might work." Kakashi seemed pleased with the idea as well and I could see the smile beneath his mask.

"Wait, I'm a bit lost here. What is this plan you guys are talking about?" Naruto, being as slow as always, looked at us with apparent confusion.

"We're thinking of having Sasuke go public with his 'perfect relationship' with this beautiful young lady to prove that he is not an evil and abusive man. Gosh, isn't it obvious?" Tsunade sighed as she explained things to Naruto, who was finally keeping up with our conversation.

"That might actually work, Teme! You're in some serious need of restoring your reputation. The romantic and sweet boyfriend image could help." Naruto's excitement was replaced by a slightly worried expression as he turned to Tsunade and Kakashi. "But he has always been so cold. Will the public believe the act?"

"The cold-hearted Prince turned into a romantic man after falling in love with a Princess. That's exactly the kind of stories the public would love." Tsuande's wide smile reflected her confidence regarding the plan.

Although I knew the whole idea had a high chance of saving me from the mess I was in, I had to point out the biggest problem.

"How are we even sure she'll agree to this?"

The gaze of three pairs of eyes went straight towards me, as if I had just said something ridiculous.

Tsunade was the one who broke the silence as she spoke with her signature smirk.

"Well, that depends on you, Uchiha. We are expecting the answer to your question by tomorrow morning."

Knowing that there wasn't exactly a better idea, I excused myself and left the conference room to get to work. I only knew her name, so I would need to get some investigation done quickly if I wish to find her by today.

" _Sakura Haruno. Looks like we'll be meeting again soon."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _Ino's probably calling me to hang out with her again."_

It was Saturday afternoon and I just finished washing the dishes when I noticed the tons of miscalls I had received from Ino. My parents had just left for their business trip and I didn't have my phone with me throughout our lunch, so I can focus on having a conversation with them. But knowing that it was Ino, I didn't think it would be anything serious. I picked the call nonchalantly when she called again.

I had never been so wrong.

"Sakura Haruno, where in the world are you? You have a lot of explaining to do!"

Ino was yelling so loudly that I had to put my phone away from my ears. She was speaking so fast that I wasn't even sure if she was angry, over-excited or just plain crazy.

"I'm sorry for not picking up your call earlier, don't be so mad." My words were ignored and Ino continued speaking.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this! And I didn't expect you moved on from Neji this fast too. I had been really worried since you kept on refusing to go out with me. Now I know why you're so 'busy'. Gosh, Sakura, you should tell me about th-."

"Ino Yamanaka. I have no idea what are you talking about." I was beginning to get really frustrated over Ino's nonsense and had to cut her off before she went on and on.

Ino was silent for a while and I assumed she was starting to get confused too. Her next words messed up my mind to another extent.

"You're dating Sasuke Uchiha, aren't you? It's all over the internet and news!"

"Wait, who am I dating?!" I yelled in complete shock over what I had heard over the phone. Ino, who figured out that whatever was going on wasn't true, hung up after quickly saying she was heading over to my house.

"Sasuke Uchiha." I repeated the name of my rumoured 'boyfriend', trying to figure out why it sounded so familiar.

" _My name's Sasuke. What's yours?"_

I screamed once again when my mind wandered to yesterday's events. I remembered the gorgeous man whose dark eyes had an unbearable charm that made looking away much too difficult. And I hated how my face would blush at the thought of him calling my name.

I quickly bring my mind back to the right path and went online for some answers.

"What in the world is going on here?" I mumbled to myself in disbelief as I browsed through the internet, scrolling through different articles on my phone. When I saw the picture of Sasuke and I as he wrapped me with his scarf, it became obvious how the misunderstanding happened.

"Wait a minute, who exactly is Sasuke?" I was about to search about the handsome stranger I met yesterday when the doorbell rang. Thinking that it was probably Ino, I ran downstairs to open the door.

But the person on the other side was not my blonde best friend.

It was him.

"Sakura."

The beautiful way he called my name, without a doubt, it was the same person from yesterday.

"Sasuke." Still not knowing who exactly he was, I was at loss of words. But that didn't stop me from admiring how good he looked.

And the way he was staring at me was not making things easier.

"I'm sorry to visit you abruptly like this but I have something to discuss with you."

"Perfect timing, I have some questions for you too." Thinking that staying outdoors might not be a good idea, I invited Sasuke into the house. As he went to take a seat in the living room, I quickly sent a text to Ino, asking her to come over later in the evening instead.

And once I turned to where Sasuke was, my heart skipped a beat in what seemed to be nervousness.

" _What have I gotten myself into?"_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

I told Sakura everything she had to know. Who I was, the recent issues I encountered and our unexpected scandal. All the while she listened attentively as I tried not to get distracted by how good she looked in a ponytail.

Though truth be told, I was a little bit disappointed to know she didn't know who I was. But I knew better than to be bothered with that at a time like this.

"And besides apologizing for causing this trouble, I am here today to ask for a favour."

"What is it?" Sakura looked at me with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

"I am not expecting you to agree to this easily. But I'm going to ask anyways." My words made Sakura even more anxious as she waited for me in silence. I took a deep breath before finally bringing up the main point of my visit.

"Are you willing to be my pretend girlfriend?"

* * *

Author's Note: That's the end of chapter 1! Please leave a review to tell me what you think. I haven't been writing so I figured I must have become rusty. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this new story! Click the follow and favourite button as well. And I will try my best to continue with the updates. See you next time!


	2. Life-Changing Decision

Author's Note: I'm super excited after reading your reviews and I'm glad you guys loved chapter 1! Huge thanks for all supporters of this new story and hope every had a great Christmas.

Chapter 2: Life-Changing Decision

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _What kind of messed up dream is this?"_

I would never have imagined a day when a well-known actor asked me to be his 'girlfriend'. It was easier to believe that it was just a sick joke.

But the way Sasuke gazed at me as he waited for my response proved that everything was real.

I unconsciously gulped as I tried not to seem too flustered. This craziness was happening too fast for me to properly digest the situation.

Sasuke must have noticed how confused I was and knew he had to say something, "If you need some time to think this through, you don't have to force yourself to make a decision right now."

A part of me felt bad for being indecisive, especially after knowing the problems Sasuke had been going through. Although I barely knew him, I could see how troubled he was when he was explaining himself earlier.

But my life would go through huge changes if I were to agree, hence, I knew better than to rush into a decision.

"I might need some time to think about this." I finally found my voice to respond, and it made me nervous that I didn't know how to read Sasuke's expression.

Not that he had much of them. Though from the way he looked at me, I could see that he was relieved I didn't reject him instantly.

"No worries. This is a selfish request from me, so you deserve some time to think things through. But since the agency needs me to give them an answer by tomorrow morning, would you be able to come to a decision by tonight?"

"Yes, I should be able to do that."

I stood up when Sasuke did so, and took the piece of paper he brought out from his pocket.

"I wrote my phone number on this paper. Call me when you've decided."

"I will." I placed the paper on top of the coffee table and walked Sasuke to the front door. I couldn't help but noticed how well-built Sasuke was. And not to mention his dark hair which looked really soft.

" _Sakura Haruno, you're an embarrassment!"_ I scolded myself for putting my attention at the wrong places and tried to stop all my inappropriate thoughts.

I opened the door for Sasuke, who turned his head around towards me before he left.

"And thank you, Sakura, for not rejecting the favour in a heartbeat."

There was a small but charming smile on his handsome face as he said that, and I didn't even bother trying to hide the blush on my cheeks.

"You're welcome."

I hate to admit it but, I just couldn't bring myself to reject him without giving it some thoughts. Perhaps it was the sincerity and intensity in his deep eyes as he spoke, or maybe it was that part of me that was hoping for something more exciting in life.

Or it could be something as simple as me being interested in Sasuke.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"She didn't know who you are?!" Naruto was laughing like a maniac when I told him about what happened back in Sakura's house.

I went back to the agency after I left and happened to meet Naruto when I was on my way to the lounge for a rest. He followed me like a parasite and forced me to tell him details.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance as the lounge was filled with Naruto's ridiculous laughter. Shikamaru, who was also a fellow actor in the agency, was taken aback when he entered.

"What happened to that?" Shikamaru referred to Naruto as some kind of object, which earned him a punch on the arm from Naruto who finally managed to calm down a little.

"You've got to hear what happened to Sasuke earlier on!" Naruto's crazy laughing spree returned, making me glare at him in annoyance.

"Is this about asking that girl to pretend to be your girlfriend?" Shikamaru casually sat down beside me and took a sip of warm coffee he just made.

"Tsunade told you?" I asked even though I figured it must be that old lady. Although Shikamaru was an actor under another manager, he was one of my closest friend and a colleague I often worked with. And being a natural genius, he eventually became one of the agency's advisors or some sort.

"Yeah. A troublesome situation you got yourself into." Shikamaru took another sip of coffee before raising an eyebrow at Naruto. "What made him laugh that hard though?"

I refused to answer and placed my attention on the cup of tea I had on my hand instead. Naruto, who heard Shikamaru's question, tried to stop laughing to give him an answer.

"The girl who's supposed to be Sasuke's 'girlfriend' doesn't know who he is! Talk about a stab to the Teme's ego!" Naruto's words made Shikamaru joined in the uncontrollable laughing moment and neither of them cared about my obvious frustrations over their stupidity.

"Anyways, besides the fact that she doesn't know who the hell you are, how is this girl like?" Naruto sat beside me, and I could hear his faint panting from all the laughter.

"She's nice." My mind decided to ignore how annoying Naruto was as it began to be filled with thoughts of Sakura. Women were generally annoying to me in one way or another. But there was something about her that sparked my interest.

It could be how she blushes often but at the same time, has a strong and tough personality. And whenever I was reminded of how she didn't hesitate and took on the thief back in the park, it made her even more graceful and impressive in my eyes.

"Hey, Teme!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Naruto yelled into my ears, making me winced in both pain and annoyance.

I glared at the loud blonde who crossed his arms in front of his chest, "You went into your own world for a second there. You didn't even hear what Shikamaru and I were saying, did you?"

"What?" I looked towards Shikamaru, who had a smirk on his face that made me feel uncomfortable.

"Nothing much, we're just wondering if this woman is gorgeous." Shikamaru stood up from his seat to make another cup of coffee as he waited for my response.

"Yeah, tell us more details! The paparazzi didn't get to take a picture of her face. Her pink hair is really interesting and special though." Naruto's busybody personality had surfaced once again, earning a sigh from me.

But leaving those two without an answer was never a choice.

"She's beautiful." My voice was low and as much as I hated to admit it, I felt embarrassed for saying that. It almost sounded like I was captivated by her.

Or was I?

"Wow, a girl complimented by the cold-hearted Sasuke Uchiha?! I must meet her." Naruto was being as overly excited as always and was giggling like an idiot. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was leaning against the pantry counter with a teasing look on his face.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if you actually fall for her?" Shikamaru was more talkative than usual, which was not something I would want at any time of the day.

"Shut up." I finished my cup of tea and stood up to leave. I only had limited spare time before my next scheduled photoshoot.

"Someone's running away!" Naruto laughed out loud once again, and I concluded that he would soon pass out from excessive laughter. "Sasuke is interested in a girl who doesn't know who he is!"

I closed the door right when Naruto finished his insulting sentence. I beat Naruto into a pulp in my head but walked away in reality, knowing that I had better use of my time.

As I walked away, I thought of a certain lady with pink-hair and the troubling question Shikamaru raised earlier.

" _Would I actually fall for her?"_

Only time could tell.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"I can't believe you're not agreeing to this right away!"

Ino had been yelling for the past two hours after I told her everything that had happened. She literally screamed at my face when I told her the favour Sasuke asked from me.

"An unbelievably handsome famous actor just asked you to be his girlfriend and you need more time to consider it?! It's like you won the lottery and you told them you need to consider whether you want the money or not."

"That's two completely different things, Pig. And he didn't ask me to be his real girlfriend, he asked me to pretend to be one." I had to correct Ino for the hundredth time, who seemed to be more interested in seeing things the way she wanted them to be.

"Whatever, Forehead. I've said what I wanted to say. Now all you have to do is call the hottie and tell him you're ready to start a wonderful high-profile relationship."

I rolled my eyes at my best friend and was slightly regretting to have told her the truth. But despite her insane personality, I knew that I could trust her to keep this a secret.

If I were to agree to help Sasuke, Ino would most probably be the only person who would know the truth.

Ino's phone rang in the middle of her rant about my stupidity and I was spared from further nonsense.

While Ino was taking her call, I took our empty cups to the kitchen to be washed. As I did the dishes, I was thinking of the entire craziness all over again.

Truth be told, I wanted to help Sasuke but I was too scared of all the uncertainty lying ahead. I didn't have enough confidence that I could go through it.

However, despite the fear, I knew I would regret it if I didn't agree to help Sasuke. I would really lose all my chances of meeting him again.

I pinched my own cheeks in frustration over my selfish thoughts.

" _You're supposed to be helping him because he needs your help. Not to have the chance to spend time with him!"_

My self-scolding session was disturbed by Ino who was speaking from the living room.

"I need to go home now, my mom needs me to help out with an errand!"

I put the cups back to the cabinet and walked back to the living room, where Ino was preparing to leave. Before she left, she looked at me with a type of seriousness which was rare coming from her.

"I know you want this, Sakura, so make sure you won't make a decision you'll regret. Moreover, I think you really need something new in life to move on from the past."

I smiled and reached out for a hug with my best friend. Behind her loud and insane self, Ino had always been that caring person I could always depend on.

"Thank you, Ino."

"Don't mention it. You deserve more in life, Sakura, please remember that."

Ino's words brought tears to my eyes, as I was reminded of how painful the days had been. And I knew better than anyone that I needed to move on to a new chapter.

And with the chance to do so brought right in front of me, how could I say no?

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

A warm bath had never failed to restore my energy after a long day.

It was only ten o'clock at night, but I went to bed already, in need of some rest.

I wouldn't be able to fall asleep though, not when I had not received an important call.

Just then, my phone rang, and I sat up from my bed instantly. I took my phone from the bed counter and saw that it was an unknown number calling. There was slight nervousness within myself, which was an unfamiliar feeling to me.

I answered the call after taking in a deep breath.

"Hello." I waited for a response from the other line with anxiousness, not knowing what to expect.

"Hi, Sasuke. It's me, Sakura." Upon hearing her voice, I had a mix of relief and uncertainty. I was not confident of what her answer would be, but I was glad she called at least.

"I hope I didn't disturb you from resting." Her voice was soft over the phone, and I heard a slight hint of exhaustion. It made me feel bad that I might have caused her trouble already though I was still hoping I was simply overthinking.

"Not at all. I assume you have come to a decision?" I hated myself for sounding so cold all the time and could never do a proper small talk.

"Yes." The strength I admired from Sakura could be felt over the call, and I was beginning to be more optimistic of her answer.

"Are you willing to be my pretend girlfriend?" I asked for the second time, with more hope and a strange excitement than the first one.

"Yes, I do."

I smiled at the determination behind her answer and I must admit I felt a certain anticipation which I had not felt in a long time.

"Thank you, Sakura. It seems like we'll see each other again soon."

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _This is happening for real, isn't it?"_

After I agreed to help, Sasuke asked me to meet him at his agency next morning. Apparently, I would be meeting up with his manager and the agency's director as well to discuss some details.

I realized how real everything was upon stepping into the building and I couldn't stop my heart from running a marathon.

And due to Sasuke's warning, I hid my hair with my coat on my way to the agency. My hair, expectedly, stood out too much and there were usually paparazzi around to wait for their next scoop. For my own safety and for the sake of the plan itself, it was best to avoid unwanted attention.

I was escorted by one of the staffs to the conference room, where Sasuke and the rest were at. My heart was still far from calm and my hands were slightly trembling. I didn't remember having to interact with famous and important people like this.

" _Does Neji count?"_

I shook my head as thoughts of Neji appeared at the worst possible time. My emotions would always go downhill at the mere thought of him and I could not afford to be distracted.

I managed to calm down right when we arrived at the conference room and the staff opened the door for me. I walked into the room and the first thing I saw was Sasuke's onyx eyes, looking straight at me.

He gave me a small smile which couldn't be caught if you didn't pay enough attention. I responded with a small nod and a smile of my own.

Our little exchange didn't go unnoticed by the others in the room and the silence was broken by the lady sitting at the far end of the conference table.

"The two of you clearly have chemistry. At least we don't have to worry that the public won't believe in your fake relationship."

I felt my face burn and I looked away from Sasuke. I hated how often I show weaknesses in front of him but I couldn't stop blushing under such circumstances.

The lady who spoke earlier chuckled before standing up from her seat. She walked towards me and reached out for a handshake, which I accepted despite the obvious blush on my face.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you like that." I looked up and was met with a pair of light brown eyes. She was a beautiful lady who looked like she was at most in her early thirties. "My name is Tsunade, the director of the Konoha Agency. A pleasure to meet you, Sakura. And I can't begin to express how grateful I am to know that you have agreed to help us."

"Nice to meet you too, Tsunade." I've calmed down from the earlier event and took a seat beside a man whom I assumed was Sasuke's manager.

"And I'm Kakashi Hatake, the brat's manager. Thank you for coming, Sakura." Kakashi's nickname for Sasuke earned a glare from said brat, which I couldn't help but laugh a little.

The atmosphere was light and comfortable even though the discussion topic was of great seriousness. We talked about the stories behind my 'relationship' with Sasuke and the image we wish to show to the public. There were smaller details here and there, but everything went smooth and efficiently.

"Is there anyone who knows about this, Sakura?" Tsunade asked after most of our discussion points had been covered.

"Only my best friend. But don't worry, she can be trusted with this secret."

My confidence in Ino reassured Tsunade, who sighed in bliss after our two hours discussion. I was starting to feel tired too.

"Thank you once again, Sakura. Tell us if you need anything at all and we will lend a helping hand to our best capability. Kakashi and I will handle most of the work. You can focus on 'loving' Sasuke. See you soon." Tsunade tapped my shoulder and gave me a grateful smile before leaving the conference room with Kakashi.

I stole a glance of Sasuke, who was sitting opposite of me and was looking out of the window.

" _My only task as of now is to 'love' Sasuke. I'm not sure how I should feel about that."_

I sat back down onto my chair and yawned, feeling the fatigue already. It was only 11 o'clock in the morning and I lacked energy from skipping breakfast.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke almost sounded worried but I wasn't very sure about that. I smiled as brightly as I could although I was really engulfed in exhaustion.

"I'm alright! Just a little hungry." I couldn't pretend I wasn't famished because I was indeed starving.

Sasuke stood up from his seat and gave a few seconds of thought before speaking, "Let's grab lunch. The restaurants in this building are pretty good."

"Sure!" I was trying not to show too much enthusiasm, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of Sasuke. We were about to leave the conference room when the room swung open, revealing a panting blonde man who had a huge grin on his face.

"You're still here! I rushed right after my schedule hoping you guys are still around."

His voice was loud and full of energy, which reminded me of another blonde I knew very well of.

"What do you want, Naruto?" Judging from the sigh which escaped from Sasuke, it was safe to think that he didn't want the blonde man to be around.

" _So, this is Naruto. His name was mentioned during the meeting earlier. He is one of the two best friends of Sasuke who knows the truth too."_

And seeing how he was as loud as he was said to be, I would be surprised if someone like Sasuke wouldn't be annoyed.

"You must be, Sakura!" Naruto caught me off guard when he took my hands into his. "I'm so excited to meet you. My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the Teme's best friend. I'm looking forward to becoming friends with you as well! And I must say, you're even more beautiful than what I imagined you to be!"

I felt overwhelmed by Naruto's high level of energy and the way he was squeezing my hand made me feel uncomfortable. I was about to say something but Sasuke was ahead of me.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands away and took my hands into his instead. I looked up to him in surprise, and saw the glare he was sending towards Naruto.

"Get your hands away from her."

My cheeks were burning again, and it was not only because of what Sasuke had said. But it was also how he was holding onto my hand tightly, as if not wanting me to leave.

Naruto was about to say something but Sasuke didn't give him another second to speak. Sasuke left the conference room and walked into the hallways, all the while still holding onto my hand.

As we walked in silence, I felt my heart going crazy for Sasuke again.

* * *

Author's Note: Remember to send a review, everyone! Your words mean a whole lot to me so send in reviews! Also, don't forget to click the follow and favorite button to support this story. See you in the next chapter and have a nice day!


	3. Staying Tough

Author's Note: Many thanks for everyone's support! And to those who's also following my other fanfics, I will try my best to update them too. Looking forward to be inspired for the other stories!

Chapter 3: Staying Tough

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Stop laughing."

I glared at Sakura who was sitting opposite of me over lunch. Even when I was sending sharp glares over to her, she continued mocking me for what had happened.

Long story short, I didn't know there were tomatoes in my food and accidentally ate one.

What was the problem? I hate tomatoes. I hate them more than the insults Naruto would throw at me.

"The face you made earlier was too funny!" Sakura was trying not to laugh too loudly, seeing that there were other people in the restaurant.

Besides, our presence was more than enough to attract attention and Sakura was aware of that.

Once Sakura calmed down from all the laughing, I saw her eyes secretly looking around. She was trying to be subtle about feeling uncomfortable from all the attention we were getting.

I almost forgot how annoying she was a second ago when I saw how considerate she was, not wanting to complain about feeling uncomfortable to avoid making me feel bad.

"You know, the attention you'll be getting will be more than just this from now onwards." I pointed out the harsh truth, which was responded by a small smile from Sakura.

"I am aware of that." She sighed softly before continuing. "It must be difficult for you to live under the spotlight, having people judge you for every tiny mistake you make."

Sakura's unexpected words surprised me. Even during times when she didn't feel alright, she was still looking out for other people.

"Yes, it's not easy. But it's all part of what we do." I caught a glimpse of a man sitting a few metres away from us, who was sipping on his cup of coffee while looking at our way.

I recognized him as one of the reporters who wrote an article about my 'abusive' behaviour towards my non-existent lover. Based on the agency's investigation, he was hired by a rival agency to destroy my reputation.

Instead of putting my attention towards those who wanted to bring me down, I knew I should focus on the current plan to salvage my career.

I was brought back to reality from my trains of thoughts by Sakura's voice.

"What are you up to today?"

"I have an interview scheduled in the afternoon. Then I will be having a TV drama shooting in the evening."

"It's going to be a long day for you, isn't it?" Sakura drank some tea as she looked out of the window beside us. There was a distant look in her green eyes, as if she was getting lost from her own thoughts.

She looked sad.

I was reminded of the first time I saw her and the tears running down her face. She had been cheerful and full of energy most of the time that I forgot how broken she seemed as she let tears fall from her beautiful eyes.

But I was not in the position to pry on her personal life and decided to let it go for the time being.

"How about you? What do you have planned for today?" I continued the conversation, in hopes of distracting Sakura from any sad thoughts she was having.

Her eyes turned back to me and she gave one of her usual smiles which could fool anyone that she was alright.

"Nothing special. Other than meeting a friend after this, I have no plans."

"I can drive you to where you're going. I have some time before the interview." I called a waiter for the bill as I spoke. "Do you want to come over to the drama shooting after you met your friend?"

"Can I?" Sakura's eyes reflected her excitement, and I must admit it made her adorable. Just then, the waiter came with the bill and I took it from him.

"Hn." I stood up after paying the bill to the waiter, ignoring Sakura who was suggesting splitting the bill.

"Come on, I can't make you pay for everything!" Her tough personality returned, making me smirk in amusement. Since she was talking too much, I took her hand in mine and dragged her away. As expected, she stopped complaining once I did so.

" _I could really get used to holding her hand."_

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I could use a word to describe Sasuke's car; fancy.

His black sports car was slick and beautiful, which was a perfect match with its owner. I found myself stealing glances at Sasuke as he drove, admiring how the sunlight was making his facial features more defined.

" _I wonder how many girls he had given a ride in his car."_

My eyes widened in disbelief at my own mind. I mentally slapped myself for asking a question that should have nothing to do with me.

"What will your interview be about?" I started a conversation, wanting to distract myself from my own head.

"You." Sasuke's straightforward answer made me feel uneasy, not knowing what I should say or do.

Naturally, I had to say something stupid.

"So, you're going to do an interview to talk about how great of a person I am?"

I wanted to bury myself into a hole when I realized what I was saying. But it was too late to take back my words.

"You can put it that way."

Sasuke answered as if the question I asked wasn't ridiculous. Thinking that it could be fun, I continued the conversation.

"Do you need me to tell you some of my good points? There aren't a lot to talk about though, honestly. But you just knew me, so I guess you could use some of my help." I was wrecking my head for some of my strengths which were decent enough to be talked about on an actual interview.

But it proved to be unnecessary when Sasuke responded.

"There's no need for that. You're beautiful and kind-hearted, that's two very important good traits and it's more than enough."

I lost track of the number of times I blushed because of Sasuke and I was seriously considering starting to keep a record. I chose not to allow myself to be too bothered by the fact that Sasuke called me beautiful and focused on the later part instead.

"How do you know I'm kind-hearted? You just knew me not too long ago."

"You're here with me right now and have agreed to such a big favour when you just knew me as well. If that's not being kind-hearted, I'm not sure what it is."

Sasuke was being as expressionless as ever, but the sincerity behind his words didn't go unnoticed by me. It made me believe that I didn't make the wrong decision.

When we reached the mall where I would be meeting Hinata, Sasuke got down from the car to open the door for me. I had always wanted to know how it feels like to have a boyfriend with a sports car.

I giggled like an idiot but quickly regained composure when Sasuke opened my door. I got down of the car and instantly noticed the attention from people around us.

I thought back to the words Tsunade said in the morning about attracting the attention of the public.

" _We must strike while the iron is hot. Whenever you two have the chance, make sure to give off the image of a perfect couple in public. Not too much though, as the reporters might get suspicious if we're being too nice in providing materials for their articles. Just enough to make the public put their attention into your relationship instead of past scandals."_

From the way Sasuke was looking at me, I could see that he was also thinking of the same thing as I did.

I was frozen in place when Sasuke placed his hand on my head and slowly moved his face closer to mine. I was frantically trying to remain calm, not wanting to seem unnatural in the eyes of others.

I bit my lips in a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, as my mind went crazy thinking that Sasuke was reaching for a kiss.

But I was proven otherwise when I he laid his forehead against mine, all the while holding onto my hands.

My heart was pounding hard against my chest as I felt his warmth on my skin. We looked into each other's eyes, and it was as if I was lost in his strong gaze.

"I'll see you later, Sakura. I'll come pick you up after my interview."

With that said, he let go of my hands and walked to his side of the car. I moved closer to the mall's entrance, watching Sasuke drive away.

I looked around and saw that there were people still watching me. Not wanting to cause any suspicion, I suppressed the flustered feeling inside me and acted as calm as I could.

I hurried into the mall to find Hinata, whom I decided to meet up to tell her about my 'relationship' with Sasuke. Being my best friend, I figured I couldn't allow her to know about it through the news and not myself.

As I navigated through the mall, I thought of how addictive Sasuke's warmth was, even though I felt it for only a moment.

" _I'm seriously turning into a creep."_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"That's a wrap!"

I sighed in exhaustion once the interview ended. It was on a live TV show, so I couldn't relax often.

I shook hands with the interviewer and left the set. I was heading to the exit, where Kakashi stood at the side.

"Good job." Kakashi commented before handing me a bottle of water. "You'll have an hour of rest before the drama shooting."

"Hn." I drank some water as I left, having to pick Sakura up before going to the drama shooting set together. I was about to leave the building when someone familiar entered.

"I didn't expect to meet you here, Uchiha."

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes at the sight of the man who just spoke to me. I didn't want to seem rude in public.

"You seem to be doing well, Hyuuga."

Neji Hyuuga, was by far one of the most annoying actors of the Konoha Agency. I wasn't sure what others thought of him, but he frustrated me to no end. He joined the agency a while after I did, but was annoyingly arrogant.

And for an over-confident person such as myself to find Neji Hyuuga arrogant, something was wrong with that white-eyed man.

"I am. Not sure if the same goes to you."

There he was again with his snide remarks. We just never got along well since the very beginning.

"Contrary to what you believe, I'm doing perfectly fine."

Neji smirked at my words, not bothering to hide his sarcastic tone, "It must be really fun to be involved in so many scandals."

"I wouldn't say that. Not that I care though. Anyways, I would love to chat with you more, but I need to head out for a drama shooting. And I need to pick my girlfriend up too."

"Girlfriend?" Neji looked at me in disbelief and I could see the suspicion in his emotionless eyes.

"Looks like you're not following the news." Kakashi followed me as I left the building, leaving Neji Hyuuga in his own world of denial.

"Perhaps you have killed him in your previous life. He hates you to the guts." Kakashi's words made me smirk in agreement.

"He's just jealous." I stated matter-of-factly, making Kakashi chuckle in response.

"I'll head back to the agency for some urgent matters. Have fun with Sakura and make sure you take good care of her at the set later."

"Hn." I got into my car and drove away after sending Sakura a text that I was on my way to pick her up.

It was seriously starting to feel like we're a real couple.

* * *

 **Neji's POV**

"Tell me about Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend."

That was the first thing I said to my manager, Might Guy, when I entered my waiting room. I still had half an hour before my scheduled interview.

"I thought you would know already! It's the only thing everyone's talking about back in our agency." Guy rummaged through his backpack, seemingly in search of a magazine. As I waited, I tried my best to refrain from my manager's choice of clothing, which was still an eyesore for me.

"Here it is!" Guy handed me a magazine, which featured Sasuke and his girlfriend on the cover page. "There isn't a lot of details about the girl as of now though."

When I saw the picture on the magazine, my eyes went wide open in shock. Although the photograph didn't show her face, I only knew one person who could have that pink hair.

" _Sakura."_

I clenched my fist which was holding onto the magazine, not caring that I was starting to damage it. My eyes were fixated on the picture of Sasuke and the woman whom I was very sure was Sakura.

I knew her long enough to recognize her in an instant.

" _Is Sakura really with Sasuke now?"_

Jealousy was running throughout my body and my mind was going insane from all the questions I was having.

I wasn't sure if I was jealous because I still had feelings for Sakura or was it the fact that my ex-girlfriend belongs to my rival now.

Whatever the reason may be, I didn't like it. Not one bit.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

It was definitely a good idea to meet up with Hinata.

Although I felt bad for lying about my relationship with Sasuke, I could see how relieved Hinata was to know that I had 'moved on' from her cousin. It didn't feel like we have talked for hours, being completely engrossed into our conversation.

We parted ways when Sasuke texted, saying that he was on his way. Hinata giggled when she saw the smile on my face as I read the message. She said I looked blissful and it made her happy.

" _It does feel good to be around Sasuke."_

The said man appeared in his fancy sports car and came out to open the door for me.

"You seem to be in a good mood." It wasn't easy to read Sasuke's expressions, but I could see that he was happier than usual.

"I guess. I had an interesting encounter with my rival. Nothing special, really."

We talked about Sasuke's interview for the rest of the ride, which wasn't a long one. It was an outdoor set for the drama shooting and I saw there were fans gathered around as well.

"Is it common for fans to watch as you work at ourdoor sets?"

"Hn." Sasuke didn't seem to be bothered by the crowd and I didn't expect anything less from a professional actor.

Sasuke took my hand into his again when we walked to the set. At least I managed not to blush this time round.

Sasuke was approached by the makeup artist and hair stylist once he stepped into the set. I was greatly in a friendly manner by the staffs, which was a relief to me. But if I were to glance over at the fans, I could literally feel them throwing daggers at me with their eyes.

I sat down near where the staffs were, a few meters away from the group of fans. But I was still able to hear them loud and clear.

"I wonder what Sasuke see in her? She looks pretty ordinary to me." One of the fan spoke in a tone which made me feel insecure.

"And what's with that ridiculous pink hair? She definitely does not have a sense of style." Another said, and I could hear other people laughing along.

I was both sad and angry, having a strong urge to give those women a piece of my mind. But I was advised by Kakashi to not confront the fans, as it would harm Sasuke's reputation too.

And it was pointless since most of them wouldn't stop being mean.

" _You need to toughen up, Sakura Haruno."_

I took a deep breath as I placed my focus on the set, where Sasuke was getting ready for the first scene of the day. The mean comments from the fans were still happening, but I managed to stop caring as much.

The useless words in the background were soon ignored by me as I watched Sasuke acted flawlessly. The way his hair moved with the winter breeze boosted his charm to another level. His acting skills were that of a professional and I could see why he was famous.

" _I still can't believe that man is supposed to be my 'boyfriend'."_

I had to admit the words of those fans affected me. I wasn't very confident to begin with, and they just had to bring me into a state of serious insecurity.

Not that they cared, of course.

After an hour and half, Sasuke was done for the day. He seemed exhausted and I was glad he finally could take the rest he deserved.

When Sasuke walked up to me, I could hear the squealing of the fans. They were getting excited from seeing their idol up close and seeing how much they supported Sasuke, it was hard to believe they were the same people who had been throwing me mean words.

"Let's grab dinner. I'm starving." Sasuke thanked staffs who were passing by for their hard work and it was truly nice of him.

I stood up and stretched a little, feeling a bit sore after sitting down for quite some time. Sasuke placed his arms around my waist and lead me to where the car was parked. His action caused another series of squealing from his fans, whom by now must have wished for my doom.

When Sasuke started to drive, he took one last glance at the fans before turning back to me.

"Did they say anything mean to you?"

"Well, they weren't saying it to me. It was more like literally talking behind my back." I expressed my annoyance at those women, which I had been holding onto to avoid causing a scene.

"Ignore them. Whatever they say are probably nonsense."

"Most of them are. Not all though." I was reminded of the words that made me feel insecure and I felt bad again.

"Tell me what they said." Sasuke, being the harsh person he was, was not asking me a question but was demanding for answers.

"It's nothing, really! Generally speaking, they don't think I deserve to be with you and I agree to that."

"That's nonsense." Sasuke's eyes left the road when we reached the traffic lights. He looked straight into my eyes, making me unable to look away. "You're a wonderful person"

Sasuke was never a man of many words. But if he said something, it had the power to make my heart flutter and cause my mind to run wild.

" _If I were to really fall in love with Sasuke, I'll be in serious trouble."_

But could I even control my own feelings?

* * *

Author's Note: Please leave a review on your way out so I can know what you think of this story! Comments are more than welcome as well. Have a good day and see you soon!


	4. The Haunting Past

Author's Note: Happy new year, everyone! May 2018 be a year filled with happiness and everything great.

And many thanks for my dear readers' kind words which are truly encouraging. I will also take in everyone's suggestions for consideration. Do continue supporting this fanfic and some of my other stories too!

Chapter 4: The Haunting Past

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"You're one annoying woman."

"Come on, loosen up! You need to learn how to have fun like a normal human being." Sakura wasn't bothered by my lack of enthusiasm and was already starting to create snowballs.

During dinner, Sakura noticed some children having a snowball fight and I had a bad feeling when I saw the sparkle in her eyes.

And my discomfort proved to be right when she said we should play after dinner. No amount of argument got me out of it.

As I was staring at a group of children building a snowman near the lake, I felt a snowball landing onto my shoulder. I turned around to see a laughing Sakura who seemed amused at my frown.

Without another word, I quickly made a snowball of my own and threw it towards Sakura, who was too preoccupied with laughing to notice the incoming impact.

The snowball landed onto her forehead, making her yelp in surprise. A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she strengthened the snowball on her hand, preparing to throw it for the second time.

"You don't know who you're dealing with here!"

With that said, I saw another snowball heading towards me, which I easily dodged. Little did I knew, Sakura had another snowball hidden behind her and it hit me on the chest when I was too focused on the other one.

Unsatisfied with how I was tricked, I became more serious with her game. Noticing the new-found interest within me, I could see Sakura getting even more excited.

Sakura had her way of making me do the most unexpected things.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"That was fun!"

I laid down on the snow at a less crowded part of the park. Sasuke did the same, laying comfortably beside me.

We stopped playing when there were people who noticed Sasuke and we were attracting unwanted attention again. Since the weather was great that night, we decided to stay a while longer to enjoy the starry skies.

"Today I saw for myself how difficult it is for you to do normal stuffs. You literally attract attention everywhere." I honestly felt bad for Sasuke, who might seemed indifferent, but was the type to want some privacy.

"Even going to the supermarket for groceries can be annoying."

"You live alone?" I realized I never asked Sasuke about it since it was never brought up.

"Hn."

"I can help you with groceries if you need." I turned to where Sasuke was and saw that he was still admiring the skies. As for me, I was admiring how handsome the man beside me was, even when he wasn't trying at all.

"That sounds good." Sasuke turned to me and caught me red-handed for staring at him. But instead of looking away or saying something to embarrass me, he didn't move and just looked straight into my eyes.

Neither of us made a move or said a word, and it almost felt like time had stopped. My mind was in a mess when Sasuke reached out his hand and gently placed it on my cheek. His dark eyes intensified, making him more alluring than he already was.

When it seemed like he was about to make another move, I freaked out and abruptly sat up from the snow.

"I-It's getting colder! We better get going before catching a flu."

I stood up and looked away, unable to bring myself to look at Sasuke's eyes. There was a tense and almost awkward air between us, which was inevitably killing me inside.

" _He wasn't about to kiss me earlier, was he?"_

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

" _I'm an idiot."_

I sighed and laid my forehead onto the table in front of me. I had just finished another drama shoot and was back in the agency for a short break before I had to leave for another schedule. I found an empty lounge to rest in peace and quiet.

My mind never stopped going back to the events of last night, when I was so close to doing something really stupid.

"What got into you?"

I grunted in annoyance before looking up to see Kakashi leaning against the wall while reading his usual book.

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me you made a move on Sakura?"

I gulped unconsciously at Kakashi's accurate words, and made sure I wouldn't make my surprise obvious.

But Kakashi had always been an observant person and there wasn't a lot of things I can get away from.

"I take your silence as a yes."

I didn't argue or defend myself because I knew I was wrong. I was at fault for getting carried away and thinking that there was something between us.

Or was I not wrong about the last point?

"I'm not surprised if you're starting to fall for her. Not only is she beautiful, she has a wonderful personality. One of her traits that I particularly admire is how she is not trying to impress anyone and is just being herself. That's not something one can do easily."

Kakashi's words made me smile to myself. What he said about Sakura was true and I agreed to everything he said.

"I guess I might have made a mistake, thinking that she had feelings for me."

I found myself confiding to Kakashi, something that was out of my own expectation. Even though he had always used the worst excuses for being late, he was someone you knew you can trust.

"Take it slow. Make the wrong move and she might walk away." Kakashi spoke as he headed to the door, leaving me in my own distress.

I sighed before laying my head onto the table once again, thinking of how pathetic I was at that moment.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _He's really charismatic."_

The next day after our little incident, I was at a forest where Sasuke was shooting for his drama. I was leaning against a tree as I watched Sasuke, flawlessly finishing his scenes.

And since the shooting venue was not in a really open area like a park, there were no crazy fans around. It was nice to enjoy the show without having ridiculous remarks directed at me every second.

Looking at Sasuke doing a great job made him felt so distant. I still found it unbelievable that I was in a situation where I could be so close to someone like him.

To think that we were so close to what seemed like a kiss yesterday, I felt like I was stuck in a dream that was too beautiful to believe.

"Sakura."

My whole body froze when I heard a voice that was much too familiar. Time felt like it had stopped and the only thing I could hear was the footsteps of the man behind me. I bit my lips in hopes to prevent the unexplainable emotions surfacing from deep inside me.

I turned around while trying to stay as composed as I could. When I saw the pair of eyes I grew to love for years, it took all my strength not to break down.

"Neji."

I didn't know what to feel or what to do. I didn't know if I should be mad or happy that I finally got to see him. I just stood there, speechless and with no expectation on what would happen.

"It's been a while. How are you?" His voice reminded me that it really had been a while and that I did miss him.

I wanted to scream at him, saying that I wasn't fine at all. And that I was completely shattered by his words when he ended everything between us.

But I knew better than to cause a scene.

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm good too."

There was a deafening silence between us and it was unbearable. There were so many things I wanted to tell him but when he was in front of me, I didn't know what to say.

"Is it true that you're with Uchiha now?"

It wasn't just the question itself that caught me off guard, but it was also the pain in his voice. When I saw the look on his face, it was a mixture of what seemed to be anger, pain and confusion.

"Yes." I looked away, reminding myself that he was the one who had hurt me, and I should not feel sorry for him. And why would he feel anything anyways, since he was the one who ended our relationship in the first place.

"I see." I heard what almost sounded like a whisper from him and I could feel my heart beating fast against my chest. I wanted nothing more than running away, even after hoping to see him again for the longest of time.

My heart skipped a beat when I felt Neji's hand on my chin, raising my head to meet his eyes. I wanted to slap his hand away and yell at his face. I hated how I was simply standing there, staring right into those beautiful white eyes.

"I don't know what happened in the past month. But I know you too well to know if there is something more than what meets the eyes."

"Don't talk as if you know everything about me." Tears were on the verge of falling but I refused to appear weak in front of Neji. I refused to give him another chance to hurt me all over again.

"What do you think you're doing to my girl, Hyuuga?"

Sasuke glared at Neji, who was still holding onto me. I shoved his hand away and found myself running to Sasuke's side. Neji's sudden appearance was badly messing my mind up.

"Just asking why she would want to be with someone like you." I expected Neji's insulted words to anger Sasuke, but it seemed like everything that day wasn't going according to what I thought it would.

Sasuke placed a hand on my waist and brought me close to him. He landed a gentle kiss on my head and I could feel his smirk against my hair. My face was burning from the sudden sweet action from Sasuke, who was holding onto me protectively.

"Jealousy is evil, you know." Sasuke's mocking tone caused a frown on Neji's face. His glare towards Sasuke intensified and I was starting to feel nervous, not knowing what would happen next.

Just then, a staff member called for Neji to get ready for his own drama shoot. Neji turned around but before leaving, looked at me one more time with an expression I couldn't read.

"I'm warning you, Sakura. Leave Uchiha before he hurts you."

I clenched my fists in anger, not understanding why Neji would still care. And he had no rights to say what he said after what he did to me. He was the one who left me completely shattered.

"What's your relationship with him?"

Sasuke's question brought me back to reality. I looked up to meet Sasuke's eyes, which showed his obvious discontent towards my interaction with Neji. My anger was replaced by my nervousness earlier, not knowing what to expect from Sasuke next.

"Didn't you say jealousy is evil." I laughed nervously, trying to make the situation less serious. I regretted saying that the second I saw the look on Sasuke's face.

"Don't avoid the question." Sasuke's voice told me he was running out of patience. I sighed before giving him the answer he demanded, not wanting to cause him to lose his temper.

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

" _You've got to be kidding me."_

The woman who was pretending to be my lover and whom I was starting to have feelings for turned out to be Neji Hyuuga's ex-girlfriend.

How screwed up can the world be?

I was lost in my own thoughts, making Sakura unsure of what to do or say next.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't find out the truth." Sakura's words made me feel guilty that she was worried about me, even though I could see that she was upset after her encounter with Neji.

"Are you alright?" Despite my own messed up emotions, I knew Sakura was in a worse situation.

"I'll be fine." Her smile was weak and seemed almost forced. Her green eyes were darker than usual, and I noticed how it was beginning to tear up.

Without another word, I took her hand in mine and dragged her to where I placed my things. After taking them and bidding goodbye to the director, I held Sakura's hand again and walked to my car.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked when we're inside the car. Without another word, I drove away to where I assumed would make her feel better.

* * *

"This is really good!"

Sakura's face was beaming with joy as she dug into the cake in front of her.

I brought her to a café where my brother frequently brought me to when I was younger. It was a café hidden among the woods, hence, it usually wasn't crowded. The tables and chairs were made of wood, giving the whole place a very peaceful vibe.

It was a plus point that they served good desserts too.

"How did you know this place? It's practically in the middle of nowhere." Sakura asked after taking a sip of hot chocolate.

"My brother brings me here quite often before. And since not a lot of people know this café, it's a good place to get away from the business of the city."

After I became an actor, I realized how little time I had to have some quality time alone and relax. My daily schedule was always filled with work, to the point that there were not much chances for me to go back and visit my family.

I guessed that was also why it felt nice that I could find some time between all my tight schedule to spend some time doing things that were not work-related.

" _Even though technically, spending time with Sakura was supposed to be part of my job."_

"Thanks for bringing me here." Sakura spoke as she looked out of the window, seemingly having some thoughts in her mind.

"You can talk to me if you want to."

I was never a good listener and rarely bothered to care enough about another person. But she was special, and I no longer wished to deny that I didn't have any feelings for the woman sitting in front of me.

"I was just shocked earlier because I didn't expect to see him there." Sadness was reflected in her eyes as she stared at the swaying trees outside.

"He is in the same agency as me and we are both working on the same drama this time." I answered as I drank from my cup of hot tea, feeling slightly relieved that Sakura was willing to speak to me about her personal life.

"He ended our relationship a month ago and since then, never gave me a chance to talk to him. So, when he said all those things earlier about how you would hurt me, I was really upset." Sakura was beginning to tear up and I could see she was still trying to stay strong in front of me. She paused for a few moments before speaking again. "He has no rights to say what he did."

I was at a loss, not familiar with the situation I was in. I followed my instincts and did what I felt I needed to at that moment.

I reached out my hand and placed it gently onto Sakura's right cheek, turning her towards me. Her widened eyes showed her surprise, and I was wondering if I had scared her once again.

But when I saw the sadness in her glistening green eyes, I knew I was doing what I wanted.

"I'll never hurt you."

And I meant it.

* * *

Author's Note: Stay tuned for chapter 5 to see what happens next! Thank you for reading until this chapter and your review will be highly appreciated. Remember to click follow and favourite as well to receive notification of the next updates too. Keep warm, if you are currently having winter like I am now! See you in the next chapter!


	5. No Turning Back

Author's Note: Hi again, everyone! Many thanks for the support and encouraging words. Will keep up with the updates as much as I could! And to those who are following my other SasuSaku fanfic, I have recently updated 'Pretentious'. If you haven't checked the other fanfic out, please do and tell me what you think of them!

Chapter 5: No Turning Back

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

"A penny for your thought, Forehead?"

I heard Ino but wasn't sure what to say. I had yet to understand the entire situation to have a clear picture of what was going on.

It had been a day after Sasuke said those heartfelt words after my unexpected encounter with Neji. Obviously confused with what was in his mind, I ended up not giving him a proper response. I felt guilty afterwards, but I was at a loss of what to do.

"Nothing." I sighed, showing Ino that I was not being honest with her. Instead of being the annoying person she usually was, she was being unusually caring.

My parents were still away so I had the whole house to myself and Ino. It was the perfect time to open up to her about my troubles, but I didn't know how to begin.

"You're falling for Sasuke, aren't you?"

Ino's direct question caught me off guard and my reaction made her laugh. I looked away in embarrassment and partially because I didn't want Ino to see through me even more.

"I knew this would happen." Ino calmed down a little before putting her arm around me, squeezing me towards the end of the couch we were on. "Spill everything out! So, on what stage are you two at right now?"

"I don't know, Pig!" I pushed my nosy best friend away and sat up straight. "He showed signs that he has feelings, but I don't know what to think about that."

"A hot, famous and wealthy man has feelings for you and you did not accept him with open arms?! What is wrong with you?" Ino slapped her forehead in annoyance but calmed down soon afterwards when a thought came to her mind. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about that bastard, Neji?"

"I met him yesterday when I was with Sasuke during his drama shoot." I allowed yet another sigh to escape from me at the thoughts of meeting Neji flooded my mind once again.

"What?!" Ino's shock was evident but she eventually figured out how it wasn't impossible for that to happen, considering that both Neji and Sasuke were in the same industry. "So, Sasuke met Neji? Does he know you dated Neji before?"

"I told him. And judging from the interaction they had, I doubt Sasuke and Neji got along well." It was obvious Sasuke wasn't happy to hear about my past with Neji. And a part of me started to wonder if he did have feelings for me or was it blinded by his rivalry with Neji.

"I know what's in your mind, Sakura. I may not know Sasuke well, but if he has decided to open up to you, you shouldn't doubt him too much." Ino got up from the sofa and stood in front of me, putting her hands on either side of her hips. "You don't have to rush things, you know. Just go with the flow and you'll eventually know what to do. For now, let's go grab some food with Hinata!"

Even though Hinata painfully reminded me of Neji every time I looked into her white eyes, I always enjoyed spending time with both her and Ino.

And I needed something to distract me from thoughts of Sasuke.

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Why do you look like you were just rejected by a girl?" I could hear Naruto's annoying voice from the kitchen while I was trying to relax on the arm chair in the living room. I was closing my eyes in hopes of getting my mind off some distracting thoughts.

"Maybe he was rejected." Shikamaru's voice came from the kitchen as well and I instantly regretted allowing them to hang out in my apartment.

I wished I could tell them I was not rejected, but truth be told, I wasn't sure myself. Sakura didn't exactly respond to my words though there was a chance that she didn't understand what I was trying to say. Or she simply didn't know how to reject me in a more direct way.

"Teme, are you listening to us or not?" I could hear Naruto getting more frustrated and I figured it was better for me to respond before he went on to be more annoying.

"What?" Even though Naruto never bothered to stop talking when I was obviously not listening, he was usually aware if I was in a foul mood.

"What's going on with you?" Naruto was slurping his instant noodle like a man who had not ate for a week as he glared at me, urging for answers. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was calmly drinking a cup of milk though I could sense his curiosity as well.

I wasn't sure how I should put things into words. Should I say I was upset because I was indirectly rejected by a woman whom I was starting to fall for? Oh, not to mention that she was also the ex-girlfriend of a man I never got along well with.

I chose to go straight to the point instead of beating around the bush.

"Neji Hyuuga is Sakura's ex-boyfriend."

Perhaps I could've gave them a warning or some sort beforehand because one simple sentence caused Naruto to choke on his noodles and milk to enter Shikamaru's nose.

When Naruto managed to save himself, he placed his cup noodle onto the coffee table and stormed towards me, placing his hands on either side of the armchair.

"Please tell me you're joking." Naruto looked like I just told him the sun rises from the west. I wasn't surprised at his reaction though.

"Do I look like I am?" I pushed Naruto away, who was becoming uncomfortably close to me. It was then when I got to see Shikamaru's face again, which was still of pure shock.

"And why in the world has she never mentioned about it to us in the beginning? Doesn't she know Neji was in the same agency as us?" Shikamaru's question was something that I had yet to think of.

"It probably didn't cross her mind." I laid my head against the armchair and stared at the high ceilings, wondering what was in Sakura's mind right now.

"This is one hell of a plot twist." Naruto went back to eating his instant noodles, though he was obviously not as enthusiastic as he was earlier on. I could sense both my friends' worries and I understood the rationale behind it.

"I think it's best we inform Tsunade and Kakashi about this. Knowing Neji, he wouldn't be so nice to cooperate with us if he knew the truth." I nodded in agreement to what Shikamaru said, and my mind went back to the events yesterday.

Neji was obviously unhappy to see Sakura with me, hence, it would all be ruined if he knew the truth. But at such a point, my emotions weren't messed up with worries of having the plan exposed.

More so, it was the thought of Sakura still having feelings for Neji that was killing me.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

I hated how I couldn't concentrate on the lecture since morning.

It was during my last lecture of the day when I felt like doing nothing but go home and sleep. I was mentally drained over everything that had been going on. Not only was I sighing way too much, I felt exhausted without doing anything significant.

So, when the professor ended the lecture half an hour earlier, I found myself having a little celebration inside.

But I knew I would not be getting the peace and quiet I was in dire need of once I stepped out of the lecture theatre.

There was a commotion near the university's main gate, where I could see a bunch of people sounding unusually excited. I could see more people rushing from lecture theatres and classrooms to join in the crowd.

And seeing how crazy some of the girls were, I had a strong feeling I knew what was going on.

" _Please don't tell me he's here."_

Having decided that running away wasn't an option, I walked towards the gate to see what all the ruckus was about for myself. I took in a deep breath as I approached the gate, preparing what to say when I see Sasuke.

But I was frozen on my steps when I saw that it wasn't Sasuke causing all the craze.

It was Neji.

I gulped as the pair of white eyes I was too familiar with noticed my presence and was looking straight at me. He was standing by his sports car, which I reckoned was newly bought. When he saw that I had no intention to move from where I was, I saw him smirking before walking towards me.

Even though my mind was running wild and my heart was beating madly against my chest, I was aware of what the others around me were saying.

"Isn't that pink hair girl the one who's rumoured to be Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend?"

"It's not a rumour! Sasuke himself has confirmed it to be true."

"Neji is obviously walking towards her. Is she cheating on Sasuke with Neji?!"

As the crowd started speculating that I was cheating on Sasuke, I knew I was in trouble. I was getting more than enough dirty looks from the people from my university as Sasuke's 'girlfriend' and now I could feel them throwing daggers straight at me.

When Neji stood a few steps in front of me, it took all my self-control to not yell at him and beat him up for causing such a trouble.

But the next words he said reminded me that Neji Hyuuga would never allow his own reputation to crumble to the grounds.

"Sasuke asked me to come pick you up. He told me he promised to do so but he had a last-minute drama shoot to attend to. I hope you don't mind, Sakura."

I finally saw for myself what a talented actor Neji was. My earlier anger was calmed down a little and I must admit I was impressed.

I heard the crowds calming down as well as the focus was shifted from accusing me of cheating to how close Neji and Sasuke were. As someone who knew the truth, it was bizarre how a single sentence from Neji was able to turn the tables around so easily.

"Thank you." I acted along, so that I could get out of the unpleasant crowd. Even though I didn't know what to expect spending time alone with Neji, refusing to go with him would seem too suspicious.

Putting aside my personal fear and uncertainty was inevitable at that point.

* * *

We drove in silence, neither of us speaking a single word.

I didn't know what got into me. For the past month, I wanted to meet Neji so badly. To tell him all the feelings going wild inside me. To tell him how much I suffered ever since he left. To let him know how much he broke me to pieces.

But now that he was within arm's reach, I couldn't say a single word.

When the car stopped, I looked out of the window and saw that Neji has drove to the beach we visited often when we were still together. Memories came flashing through my mind of the times when we would randomly come to the beach to relax and just enjoy each other's company.

Instead of feeling the pain I was used to when thoughts of the past came haunting me, I simply felt empty inside. Unfamiliar with the change of heart, I decided to let it go for now and focus on the present situation.

I got out of the car when Neji did so and I was relieved to see that the beach was almost deserted. The last thing both of us needed was unnecessary attention which could bring all of us into unwanted troubles.

Neji walked to the hood of his car and leaned against it while looking into the horizon. It was a cold day, but the ocean breeze was soothing in a way. When I took a few steps closer to where he was, he finally spoke. Though he was still looking away, refusing to make any form of eye contact with me.

"I know you too well, Sakura. There must be a good reason why you're with Uchiha."

I knew lying to Neji would be the tough. As much as I hated to admit it, he was indeed one of the few people who truly knew me.

But I wasn't planning to lose this battle against him so easily.

"You have no rights to say these things after what you did to me."

I saw Neji slightly flinching at my fierce tone. Generally speaking, I was far from gentle, but due to my respect for Neji I had always restrained from being too intense.

It felt like eternity before Neji turned towards me and I told myself not to be swayed by his words no matter what. After all, he was the one who chose to end the relationship and walked away.

He had no rights to come back and say the things he did.

Neji got off from the hood his car and turned towards me. I stayed stern, refusing to show a hint of weakness.

Even when he started to walk to where I was, I remained calm and looked straight into his eyes without any fear.

"How can a person change so much in just a month?" Neji's question made me realize that I was in fact a different person from whom I was. I was surprised that a smile appeared as I thought of how insane the past few days had been.

"When you give yourself a chance to lead a new life, you'll be a new person as well."

It was at that moment that I wanted nothing more than to meet Sasuke. It was a weird feeling that I couldn't comprehend well.

Not that it mattered.

I was snapped out of my own world when I felt a hand against my cheek. Startled, I looked up to see that Neji was just inches away from me.

His earlier confusion was replaced by clear determination which gave me nothing more than a bad feeling.

"Perhaps I really have made a bad decision to let you go."

Neji had said the words I was dying to hear for the longest of time. I was reminded of the days I would wake up, hoping that Neji would come back and tell me that his heart was still with me.

But it was too late.

"Please don't mistaken jealousy for love, because they're not the same. You're probably feeling all these because you can't stand seeing me with a man whom you dislike."

The strength overflowing from within me surprised even myself, as I stayed firm with my words and feelings. Neji was not showing much expressions on his face, but I knew he was still not entirely convinced by me.

"I will discover the truth." Neji touch became stronger as he spoke, making his resolve clear.

I slapped his hand away from my face, all the while not breaking our eye contact as I spoke.

"The truth is already in front of you. Whether you choose to accept it or not is all up to you."

With that said, I walked away. Not once did I look back, and not even a second, I regretted leaving the man whom I had been dreaming of returning to my side.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! With more work piling up, I might not be able to update as frequent as I hope I can. But do look out for new updates by clicking the follow and favorite buttons! I am awaiting your reviews and comments so keep them rolling in, everyone! Have a nice day and till next time!


	6. Undeniable Feelings

Author's Note: My warmest greetings during this freezing winter! Well, at least it is freezing where I am right now. If the same goes to you, hope you're staying warm! Anyways, huge thanks for the amazing support and if you have sent in suggestions, I will definitely take them into consideration. And of course, I will try to update this fanfic as often as I can. Oh, and please do check my other SasuSaku fanfic out as well!

Chapter 6: Undeniable Feelings

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"Are you kidding me?"

I glared at the magazine on my hands as I was in one of the waiting rooms in the agency. I was in the middle of a photoshoot when Shikamaru came in to show me a ridiculous article which was just published.

"Seems like Hyuuga isn't planning to let this matter be." Shikamaru leaned against the wall as I read through the article once more, making sure I understood the whole situation.

"So, now the fans think Hyuuga and I are such great friends that I would ask him to fetch _my_ girlfriend? This is garbage."

I threw the magazine onto a nearby table and checked the time on my watch. Even though I wanted to give Sakura a call to find out what actually happened, I only had few minutes left before I had to go back to the photoshoot set.

Before l left the waiting room, an undesirable thought came across my mind.

Did I have the right to meddle in Sakura's personal life?

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

" _I'm not going to get into too big of a trouble, right?"_

I sighed once again as I walked into the building of Konoha Agency, not knowing what to expect from the urgent meeting I was called for.

I was aware a magazine wrote an article about Neji and I, which was published a day after he suddenly came to find me at my university. Fortunately, I guessed, the article focused on the seemingly great friendship between Sasuke and Neji.

Despite that, I was not surprised Kakashi called me to pay a visit at the agency on the afternoon of day the article was published. Although no major damage had occurred yet, I knew I had some explaining to do.

When I entered the conference room, Tsunade was sitting at the end of the table while Kakashi was standing by the window. Tsunade gave me a smile before motioning me to take a seat. I was slightly relieved to see that she did not seem too upset over what happened and I doubted she was the type of person who would hide it if she wasn't happy.

Kakashi gave me a smile as well, which I could still see through the mask he always had on him. I was less uptight and breathing eventually became easier.

"I believe you are aware of the reason why we asked you here today." I nodded in response to Tsunade's words. I noticed the magazine placed in front of Tsunade and the earlier unsettling feeling returned.

"Don't worry, we didn't call you here today to scold you." Kakashi leaned against the window as he faced me with his earlier smile. "We just wish to know what is exactly going on since we can't afford to make a wrong move."

"I understand. It is my fault for overlooking some details and it almost caused a big trouble for everyone." I took a deep breathe as I thought of how I should continue speaking. But there was simply no more turning back, and I had to face the music sooner or later. "I'm really sorry for not mentioning that Neji was my ex-boyfriend."

I peeked at both Tsunade and Kakashi's reactions and they were difficult to read. They seemed surprised but at the same time, it also looked as if they had sort of guessed it already.

After a few moments of tormenting silence, Tsuande finally spoke.

"This is indeed a very important piece of information. Though I'm sure nobody would blame you for not mentioning this in the beginning, so please don't worry. After all, you're doing us a big favour already and we truly appreciate it." Tsunade's words were reassuring but I felt slight guilt nevertheless.

"The fact is that Sasuke and Neji are sworn enemies, although we're glad they never showed that in public for their own image. Knowing Neji, there is a possibility he might not hesitate to act if he found a chance to destroy Sasuke's reputation and career." Kakashi's explanation towards the situation sent a shiver down my spine, as the severity of the matter registered in my mind.

"We hope you can give us as much details as you can, Sakura. We have to calculate our every move to ensure nothing bad will happen." Tsunade's determination to prevent anything to further tarnish Sasuke's reputation was apparent in her voice.

I nodded in agreement and began telling the tale I had been failing to forget.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"You look as if someone murdered your entire family." Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut as he looked at me glaring at nothing. "You're really bad at handling jealousy, aren't you?"

"I'm not jealous." I sent a sharp look towards Naruto before taking a seat on the couch at the other end of the room. We were in Kakashi's office after we were done with our work for that day. We heard from Shikamaru that Sakura had been talking to Kakashi and Tsunade for a while now and all I could do was to wait in Kakashi's office.

"Go ahead and continue denying the fact." Naruto mumbled something incoherent under his breath, but I didn't care enough to bother with him.

"What are you two doing in my office?" I turned to the door where Kakashi's voice came from, and saw that Sakura was with him as well.

"I'm just here accompanying a grumpy old man." Naruto earned yet another glare from me for his nonsense. I couldn't bring myself to face Sakura, knowing that I had never been good at hiding the fact that I was upset.

I was avoiding making any eye contact with Kakashi too, because I was aware he knew Naruto wasn't joking about me being grumpy over the whole situation.

"Sasuke, can you drive Sakura home?" I knew Kakashi made that request to tease me, but I went along with it anyways.

Without another word, I got up from the couch and walked towards the door where Sakura was. She looked nervous and I kind of guessed why.

"Let's go."

As we walked to where I parked my car, I warned myself to not say or do anything I should not.

* * *

 **Sakura's POV**

The silence was deafening.

Sasuke had been driving for five minutes but had yet to speak a single word. I was so nervous that I couldn't even more an inch.

But the situation was becoming unbearable and I had to say something.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused." I figured I could begin by apologizing first, seeing that it looked as if he was really upset over what happened.

My heart was pounding against my chest as I waited for Sasuke's response, which felt like it was taking an eternity to happen.

"It's not your fault." I was relieved to hear Sasuke's words, however, it was a fact that he was still unhappy. And I wished he could have said something to let me know what was going on in his mind.

But before I could say anything else, we have reached my house and Sasuke parked in front of the gates. He got out from the car and walked over to my side, opening the door for me.

"Thank you." It was when I got out of the car when I noticed that I had been holding onto my breath. It was starting to feel bizarre how worried I was about what Sasuke was thinking about.

"It must have been a long day for you. Have a nice rest!" I tried my best to sound cheerful and pretend everything was alright. As much as I wanted to talk to Sasuke, a part of me wanted to run away.

"Hn. You too."

When Sasuke was about to walk away, my reflex got the better of me and I reached out to grab onto his arm. Sasuke was stopped on his tracks and gave me a confused look. I felt my ears burning out of embarrassment as I struggled to come up with an excuse for my weird behaviour.

"I-I"

"Sakura?"

Upon hearing my father's voice, I quickly let go of Sasuke's arm and turn around to meet a pair of puzzled eyes. My father was standing by the gate with widened eyes and I could see that he found Sasuke very familiar.

 _"I forgot my parents are back today!"_

"What are you doing standing outside like that?" My mother's voice was heard from the inside of the house and I saw her walking out to see what was going on. Her surprise to see Sasuke was more evident compared to my father.

"Why is there a famous actor in front of our house?" My mother's question finally reminded my father who Sasuke was and he didn't bother hiding his shock.

Thousands of questions were in my parents' minds and I was put in a situation where there were way too many explaining to do. Not knowing where to start, I was left speechless as I stared back at my parents.

Just then, I felt an arm around my shoulder and I was brought closer towards Sasuke. When I looked at him, he gave me a smile which melted parts of my heart.

After giving me a gentle squeeze on my shoulder, Sasuke turned to my parents and turned his charisma to the maximum level.

"Good evening, Uncle and Auntie. I am Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura's boyfriend. A pleasure to finally get to meet the two of you."

I had no words to describe the shock on the faces of both my parents, neither bothering to hide their surprise. Even though I had to say something to save my parents from their potential heart attack, I couldn't say a word. Everything was happening too fast for me to come up with a good way to explain the whole situation.

It was moments such as this which made me wonder how my life ended up the way it did.

* * *

 **Sasuke's POV**

"I think it's time you stop shoving food to his face, Mom."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her mother who ignored her words and continued putting food onto my bowl of rice. I was glad I agreed to stay for dinner as I got to see how amusing it could be when Sakura was annoyed.

"Have more food, Sasuke! Sorry it's nothing too fancy since we just got back from a business trip and haven't had the chance to buy groceries." Mebuki, Sakura's mother, smiled apologetically before helping herself to some warm soup.

"And our daughter is a horrible cook, so she never buys groceries. So, if her mother and I are away, there's basically nothing in the fridge." Kizashi, Sakura's father, earned a glare from his daughter who was obviously hoping her parents can stop exposing her weaknesses.

Despite Sakura's complains and signs of annoyance, the dinning table had a warm and loving atmosphere. Having dinner with Sakura's family reminded me of my own family, whom I had yet to meet in a while.

I was lost in my own thoughts as my mind wandered to the last time I was back in my home. I remembered getting annoyed at Itachi who couldn't stop talking about the dumb things I did when I was younger. I did not forcefully shut him up though when I saw how entertained my parents were.

A small smile graced my face as I told myself that I should visit my family sometime soon.

"Why do you like a stupid girl like our daughter, Sasuke?"

Kizashi's question, followed by Sakura's scream of frustration, brought me back to the dinning table from my daydream. While Sakura was yelling at her father for embarrassing her, I thought of my answer to that question.

But the more important question in my head right now wasn't that.

So, was I really in love with Sakura?

As my eyes was on a slightly flushed Sakura, I gave away yet another smile. Silence dropped onto the dinning table when the three other people noticed a change in my expression.

Sakura's eyes were on mine as she waited for my response to her father's question. The sincerity and innocence in her green orbs ensured me of my own feelings.

"I'll probably take a long time to explain in detail on why I find her amazing. But simply put, when I saw her genuine self, I knew I have fallen in love."

My words ended with one of the rare smiles I show, making Sakura's blush deepened into an incredible shade of red. Deep down, I hoped she knew my words were not an act.

Because by then, I was sure I truly had fallen for my pretend girlfriend.

* * *

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